A couple of my favorite things: NETFLIX and the Kindle

Figured I would say a few words on two of my favorite things…..Netflix and the Kindle.

I have been user of Netflix for several years now – going from receiving DVD’s in the mail to now only streaming movies. At around $10 per month for unlimited streaming of the thousands of movies, TV shows, documentaries, etc. it is a great deal. Many of you may remember a few months ago that I got rid of my cable/satellite services to reduce monthly expenses. I can honestly say I am not missing it at all. One of the reasons is my monthly subscription to Netflix.

In case you are not a very tech-savy person let me explain how Netflix works in as simplest terms as possible. Via your Internet connection you stream content through your computer, tablet, media streaming box, Smart-TV, and some specially equipped DVD/Blu-Ray players. It is very simple and the only problem most people have is with their Internet connection. The faster the connection the better the movies/shows look and the less “buffering” that occurs. Buffering is simply a momentary pause in watching the movie/show while more of it loads into the memory of your device.

Although Netflix does not offer the latest new releases there are tons and tons of movies and the new releases of today may very well become available in a few months. Over the upcoming weeks I will highlight examples of movies and shows that may be of interest to preparedness-minded folks like us.

Netflix.com is where you can get more information on their services and offerrings.

The Kindle is an electronic book reader that can hold hundreds – even thousands of books and referenced in a moments noticed. Numerous models are available from basic “book-only” models that are black and white, to full-color multi-media machines that do so much more than provide easy access to books. The full-color newer versions not only provide books, but also magazines, PDF documents, video and movies, as well as entertainment items such as games and full Internet access.

From a preparedness perspective the Kindle can store away tons of informational references including books and other files already mentioned including magazines – but also other documents such as Word and Excel files. Bottom line is a tremendous amount of information can be stored and then later accessed all in one small device. Oh, the battery life is fantastic.

Another positive of the Kindle is the ability to save money on books as generally the Kindle-versions are much cheaper than the printed copies. Also there is a huge library of Kindle-only books that can provide a tremendous wealth of information.

Over the upcoming months I will showcase a variety of Kindle-offerings. If you have been thinking of picking up a Kindle – I highly recommend them.

5 Comments

If you have a Kindle and like Netflix, you should be an Amazon Prime member ($99/yr). They have as many movies and tv shows as Netflix, free. Also, if you can get any document in mobi form, you can email it to your Kindle. Amazon’s cloud services are pretty cool.

My wife bought me a Kindle as a birthday gift when they first came out. I now own four, two large format and two small readers. Of them all, I like my small backlit reader the best. I find that my Kindles will hold about 1200 books when equipped with the largest memory. Kindle readers have two disadvantages, the battery is not easily removable for replacement and the keyboard is ‘funky’ and hard to use. I typically read 500 pages a day and found my read rate increased slightly on the Kindle due to adjustable font and less time spent ‘turning pages.’ For us senior folks with presbyopia, user adjustable font size is simply marvelous. Wonderful innovation, great product. All but one of my Kindles are full and I know that I can leave content in the cloud for download ‘as needed’ but would rather have it ‘in hand’ so another machine is in the future. I have noticed that if the unit isn’t charged promptly when the battery is low, battery life suffers.

I would like to see a top line Kindle with PV back so the thing could self charge in the light, or alternatively a form fitting ‘case’ with solar cells.

Be sure to have hardcopy backups of your most needed reference materials. While the e-reader technology is truly remarkable, so are the censorship aspects of the same technology. Any digital media is easily censored, edited or even deleted remotely by politically motivated organizations. The ability to “remotely” render any stored media useless through manipulation or outright destruction is very real. Remember the rule of “3”. Have three ways to store and use your critical media (references). Such as having a Kindle, Archived copies burned to CD/DVD, and of course Paper (Hard) copies. Much has been reported on the new “updated” versions of classic literature references and even modern TV programs and Movies being re-edited to present a more “politically” correct message to the modern public. We should all beware the push to “Cloud” storage as the temptation to use this technology for power or indoctrination may be irresistable in the wrong hands. Enjoy the fruits of this remarkable new digital entertainment media, but just keep an open mind about it’s potential for harm. If you have a book or movie that you consider an essential lesson to preserve for the future, then think about a “Hard” copy that cannot be “revised” by electronic means.

Elvis, right you are. My library has thousands of old style bound books, some merely duplicated on the Kindle. When buying for the Kindle I always look for the ‘digital media rights’ deleted annotation.
PR